The Central Board of Secondary exams for Class 10 have been cancelled and the Class 12 exams have been postponed, the government announced on Wednesday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in India.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday afternoon. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, school and higher education secretaries and other top officials also attended the meeting.

In a statement, the education ministry said that results for the Class 10 examination will be prepared on the basis of an “objective criterion” developed by the CBSE.

As for the Class 12 exams, a decision will be taken after reviewing the pandemic situation on June 1. A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations, the ministry said.

The government added that in case Class 10 students are not satisfied by the marks allocated as per the CBSE’s criteria, they can sit in an exam as and when the conditions are conducive to hold them.

The Class 10 and 12 exams were earlier scheduled to be held between May 4 and June 14. However many, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had demanded that the exams be postponed.